Stoke fired manager Mark Hughes on Saturday following an FA Cup loss to fourth-tier Coventry that heaped more embarrassment on a team fighting against relegation from the Premier League.
Hughes was in charge for 4 1/2 years, guiding the club from central England to three straight ninth-place finishes in his first three seasons.
This season, however, Stoke has been undermined by defensive problems — it has conceded 47 goals in 22 games in the league, more than any other team — and has lost eight of its last 11 games.
The 2-1 loss to Coventry in the third round of the FA Cup proved to be a final humiliation for Hughes, who was fired three hours later.
In a…